Look Who's Talking

In the past two weeks, I have realized that I no longer have babies, but I have soon-to-be-toddlers.  
Each day, they are understanding more and more and trying to say new words all the time.  Jenna and Rachel are both showing new emotions like anger and frustration. There are times when they fight over the same toy.  I have seen one or two temper tantrums that have been easily stopped when given a different toy.  They are also starting to play games like hiding behind a curtain and peeking out or hiding around a corner and peeking out...kind of an advanced peek-a-boo.  I love watching them understand simple commands such as "Kiss your sister" or "Snuggle with mommy."  
This week we've been working on animal sounds.  Both girls can "moo", "baa", "ssss", and they're trying to say "meow" and "woof".  I need to get a video!
Some of the words Jenna says: Mama, Dada, Bear, Buh (Ball), Cup, Nigh-Nigh, Cat.  She tries to imitate lots of words I say.  
Rachel often quietly whispers words but I know she says: Mama, Dada, Boo (Balloon), Ki (Kitty), Buh (Bear).  If I ask her to sing, she say "Na, Na, Na or La, La, La" in a sing-song voice.  She was singing today during the Anthem at church!
I've researched and started some Baby Signs with the girls.  They understand and sign: Eat, More, and All Done.  We're working on Milk and Please.  


A Blog post is never complete without some pictures.  We had a birthday party for Jenna and Rachel on January 7.  I was so thankful that my friend, Angie, took lots of pictures.  We had a great time. 

One Year of "Bear" Pictures

I had seen baby pictures through the first year with some sort of prop to show the monthly growth in that year.  Kenny's sister, Amy, made these teddy bears for the girls and I thought that they were perfect for the monthly pictures.  Here are 2 collages with months 1-12 (I forgot to use the bear in month 2).

Jenna's pictures

Rachel's pictures

I tried taking pictures at the end of a LONG day, full of excitement.  The girls look pretty sleepy. 

December 2010 with Grandma and Grandpa

December 2011 with Grandma and Grandpa

  

We now have 1 year olds!!

Merry Christmas!! 

"Who needs Santa when I have Grandma."

We were so excited to have my parents come and spend the Christmas weekend with us.  Dad left today and Mom will stay until Saturday and then fly back home.  On Saturday, we went to the Christmas Eve service at church.  Christmas morning was so much fun with Jenna and Rachel.  They loved ripping (and eating) the wrapping paper.  After showing them how to do it, they loved getting another present to open.  As the day was ending, I was remembering a year ago when I was on Skype with my family, not even thinking that I would be in the hospital later that night.  It's hard to believe that it was a year ago!

  

Monday was Jenna and Rachel's first birthday.  We opened some presents in the morning.  They were pros by now!  Some friends came over for lunch and birthday cake.  I didn't know what to expect when we set the cake in front of the girls.  They slowly dipped their fingers in the frosting but before long, both fists were full of cake and frosting.  We couldn't get them wiped down with a washcloth, so into the tub they went.  They opened a few more presents and then played for a while.  Jenna fell right to sleep, but Rachel didn't, probably because of all the sugar!  They slept well last night!

Checking out the birthday presents.

Hugging her new cat!

A few more presents after a quick bath and outfit change!

December already?

It's halfway through December and I haven't written a blog post for this month yet.  I've been busy with playdates, shopping, putting up the Christmas tree, and chasing two babies!  The girls are still belly-crawlers but they're fast.  Now they're pulling up on everything: couches, tables, chairs, toys, and even me!  Earlier this month, they were both practicing getting down from standing.  They would stand up, just to fall back down and then get back up again. Now it's fun to watch them cruise along the furniture.  

Rachel wants to help with the Christmas decorations.

Both girls are definitely playing more with sounds and words.  Jenna clearly says "cat" and "kan-kie" for her blanket.  They both mimic me with words starting with B and D and like to make the P sound.  They are understanding simple commands and point to different things when asked.  I love seeing them learn new things each day.  
They LOVE the Christmas tree and for now we still have our storage totes around it as a temporary gate.  They like to stand against the totes and stare at the lights on the tree.  Jenna and Rachel both squeal with delight when they look at it!!

 I can't believe that my babies are going to be a year old in less than two weeks.  I was looking through some pictures and found one from a year ago. This is me at 33 weeks, 2 weeks before Jenna and Rachel were born: 

 Here's some photos from last week. Rachel's hair is long enough now for little clips and hair bows.  They don't stay very well in Jenna's hair.   

Rachel with a pretty bow

What's this on my head?

"Yum! I think I'll eat Jenna's bow!"

Trip to Canada and NY: The week in review

I've sat down to write this blog a few times but kept getting sidetacked with Cyber Monday sales, creating Christmas cards, and uploading pictures to Snapfish.  

Last week we took a LONG roadtrip to Canada and then to Rochester, NY to see family for Thanksgiving.  Kenny's grandmother lives about 2 1/2 hours from Niagara Falls.  We hadn't seen her in a few years and we really wanted her to meet the girls.  On the way, we decided to drive halfway and stayed overnight in a motel.  The babies did great in their pack-n-plays, even if they did keep sitting up and peeking out to see us!  We made it to Canada on Saturday and then stayed til Monday morning.  

Rachel LOVED Great-Grandma D.'s sliding glass door.  Look at those handprints!

On Monday we drove to Rochester to see Kenny's family.  Tuesday was my mom's 60th birthday.  My sister and I surprised her with a memory book filled with notes from her friends. On Wednesday, we visited my grandparents and they got to meet Jenna and Rachel for the first time.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures that day. 

Thursday was Thanksgiving.  Sandra and Steve came for Thanksgiving lunch and then we exchanged Christmas presents (and birthday presents for Jenna and Rachel). After lunch, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins came to Mom and Dad's house for dessert.  I was impressed with how well the girls did while they were meeting SO many new people!

 On Friday, we had Thanksgiving dinner with Kenny's family.  The babies loved mashed potatoes,stuffing, green beans, and little bits of turkey. 

Rachel loves mashed potatoes

Look at the mashed potato beard!

 Here are a few other pictures from our trip:

Rachel checking out the stairs...

Jenna was helping Grandma organize her coupons

Grandpa and Rachel 

We couldn't get both babies to look and smile.

 11 month pictures!  Boy, it's getting harder and harder to get a monthly picture.  Rachel kept playing with the bear, throwing it off the couch then trying to go after it. 

So, I tried to get a picture of her sitting on the floor.  

Jenna sat still for just a second so I got this picture!

Phew!  It was a busy and week but we had so much fun seeing our family.